Opening a School Named for the Organizer of the Library Sit-In of 1939
We ask Cathy David, who led the opening of the school in 2000, how she learned about the school’s namesake and the library sit-in of 1939.
Teaching & Technology
The build4good Experience
build4good is an internship program that matches and mentors tech-savvy post-secondary students with mission-driven nonprofits.
Recalling a Childhood of Segregated Schools and Libraries
We ask Michael Johnson, a cousin of a participant in the 1939 library sit-in, about growing up in a segregated city.
Mapping Out a Path to Justice for the 1939 Sit-In Participants
We ask Bryan Porter how he investigated the 1939 sit-in arrests and wrote an order clearing the participants.
Seeking to Clear the Charges 80 Years After Library Arrests
We ask Justin Wilson about the process of learning about and clearing the charges in the 1939 Alexandria Library sit-in.
Curating and Connecting the Stories Behind the Library Sit-In of 1939
We ask Davis about her decades of work supporting research on the 1939 sit-in and interpreting its significance.
Reflecting on What it Takes for a Public Library to Reckon with its Past
We ask Dawson, the first African American library director in Alexandria, about the 1939 sit-in and how libraries reckon with their pasts.
Digging for Details about a Little-Known Civil Rights Protest During Jim Crow
We ask what propelled Mitchell-Powell to document this little-known story and what lessons apply to schools and libraries today.
What Was the Library Sit-In of 1939?
Delving into the story of the Alexandria Library sit-in, how its story has been preserved and amplified, and what it teaches us today.
